Lowry Air Force Base - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Lowry Air Force Base (1938–1994) is a former United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

base located in the cities of Aurora

Aurora, Colorado

City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...

and Denver, Colorado

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

. Its primary mission throughout its existence was Air Force technical training and was heavily involved with the training of United States Army Air Forces

United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

bomber crews during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It was also the home of the United States Air Force Academy

United States Air Force Academy

The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...

from 1954 to 1958, until the Academy's permanent site in Colorado Springs was completed.

Lowry Campus

Lowry was permanently closed by actions of the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure

Base Realignment and Closure

Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...

(BRAC II) commission in 1994. The land is now being used for commercial and residential development, though many of the old military buildings are still in use.

Reuse

Lowry AFB's two massive hangar

Hangar

A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...

s currently house the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum

Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum

The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum is located on the former grounds of Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. The museum, which opened in 1994, is housed in the Hangar #1 built in 1939. The museum preserves the history of Lowry AFB's operations from 1938 to 1994 in its...

(Hangar 1 and 2, Building 401 and 402, respectively). Another hangar, formerly Building 1499, has been converted to the Big Bear Ice Rink. One of the former dormitories is currently owned and used by the Logan School for Creative Learning

Logan School for Creative Learning

The Logan School for Creative Learning is a private school in Denver, Colorado enrolling gifted students in grades K through 8. The school focuses on experiential learning as its educational method....

and was remodeled beginning 2004 and ending in late 2006. Also, some of the base housing is currently owned and used by Stanley British Primary School and other buildings are occupied by the Aurora Community College at Lowry

Community College of Aurora

The Community College of Aurora is a community college located in Aurora, Colorado. It is part of the Colorado Community College System. CCA serves over 10,000 students annually at its CentreTech Campus in Aurora, Colorado, Lowry Campus at Lowry, Denver, and through online classes...

.

Other outbuildings and facilities have been demolished or are in the process of being demolished to make room for new development, while other buildings such as the former steam power plant and headquarters building are being renovated for new usage in the form of modern lofts and housing. Few abandoned, original buildings remain, although one dormitory facility and a former medical building on the east end of the base are owned by the state as part of the Higher Education and Technology campus and have not yet been renovated and are off-limits.

Military presence

Two remaining military facilities are the Defense Finance and Accounting Service

Defense Finance and Accounting Service

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service is an agency of the United States Department of Defense that provides finance and accounting services for the civil and military members of the Department. Headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, it was activated on Jan. 18, 1991...

(DFAS) or Finance Center and the Air Reserve Personnel Center

Air Reserve Personnel Center

The Air Reserve Personnel Center manages personnel records for the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve and it is located at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado....

History

Lowry Air Force Base was named on 11 March 1938 in honor of Second Lieutenant Francis Lowry whose plane was shot down by German antiaircraft fire in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

in which he flew as a forward artillery observer

Artillery observer

A military artillery observer or spotter is responsible for directing artillery fire and close air support onto enemy positions. Because artillery is an indirect fire weapon system, the guns are rarely in line-of-sight of their target, often located tens of miles away...

on 26 September 1918. Despite bad weather Lieutenant Lowry and his pilot in their Salmson 2A2

Salmson 2

|-References:* Davilla, James J., & Soltan, Arthur M., French Aircraft of the First World War. Stratford, Connecticut: Flying Machines Press, 1997. ISBN 0-9637110-4-0...

had attempted a photo-reconnaissance mission important to the Meuse-Argonne Offensive

Meuse-Argonne Offensive

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...

over Crepion

Moirey-Flabas-Crépion

Moirey-Flabas-Crépion is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meuse department...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. Lowry, who came from a prominent Denver family, was the first Denver aviator killed in wartime. He is buried in Fairmont Cemetery adjacent to the former Air Force Base.

Origins

In 1934 the Army Air Corps

United States Army Air Corps

The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...

realized it was outgrowing its facilities at Chanute Field, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

and began looking for a new facility where it could consolidate all of its Air Service Technical training schools.

After looking at more than 80 sites across the nation, a military committee submitted a list to Congress with the names of six cities that would meet their needs. Denver ranked first, and Congress approved the Air Corps project in 1937, but Chanute remained the headquarters of the Air Corps Technical School & home to the aircraft mechanics school.

The Army formed a new branch for armament & photography

Photography

Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...

training in Denver, and on October 4, 1937 the Works Progress Administration

Works Progress Administration

The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...

(WPA) began work to convert the grounds of the former Agnes Memorial Sanatorium into a modern airfield.

In February 1938 Lowry Field came under the jurisdiction of the Air Corps Technical School, still headquartered at Chanute. The Departments of Photography and Armament moved to Lowry, followed in September by the Department of Clerical Instruction.

Classes in aerial photography began at Lowry in 1938 and runway opened on April 4th of that year. The first aircraft to land on the new paved runway was a B-18 Bolo

B-18 Bolo

The Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....

. The sanatorium's main building became the base headquarters. In addition, the largest single barracks, housing 3,200 men, was completed in mid-1940.

World War II

Initially assigned to the Air Corps (Later Army Air Forces) Technical Training Command, the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command redesignated as the Army Air Forces Training Command on 7 July 1943, assumed responsibility for both flying and technical training. Lowry Field became the headquarters of the Western Technical Training Command.

Lowry specialized in technical training of aerial photography image interpreters at the beginning of the war, later expanding to armament, and clerical schools during Jul 1943-Jan 1944. Lowry changed from a technical school to a predominantly flying installation when flight engineering, B-29 pilot transition, and B-29 crew training began in 1943. In 1944, the flying training increased with the addition of B-29 Flight Engineer training.

Postwar era

With the end of the war, Lowry became a separation station for the Armed Forces. By the end of the 1945, Lowry was processing an average of 300 discharges a day.

In mid-October 1945, AAF Training Command delegated all stations and activities of the Headquarters Western Technical Training Command from Lowry to the new Technical Training Command at Scott Field, Illinois as part of the initial draw down of the AAF after the end of World War II. On 1 July 1946, Lowry was assigned to the Army Air Forces new Air Training Command

Air Training Command

Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...

, which it would be a part of for almost the next 50 years.

The postwar mission of Lowry again turned to Intelligence Training, as by mid-
1946 most of these people had left the service, returning to their civilian occupations. As a result, HQ AAF directed Air Training Command and Air University to establish
formal courses, which were established at Lowry in July 1947. Courses taught were focused on basic training in intelligence techniques needed for combat reporting, photographic intelligence, prisoner of war interrogation, and briefing and interrogation of combat crews.

On 24 June 1948, Lowry Field was renamed Lowry Air Force Base as a result of the United States Air Force becoming a separate branch of the Armed Forces of the United States. On 26 August 1948, the 3415th Technical Training Wing was established at Lowry to command and control all training organizations at the base.

Operation Hayride (also Haylift and Snowbound)

Location:Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska,
Nevada, and Utah.
From January 3–March 15, 1949, OperationHayride, responded to eighteen snowstorms in 27 days that hit the Rocky Mountain and upper Great Plains states during December 1948 and January 1949, dropping temperatures as low as 40 degrees below zero, blocking roads and railways, and covering ranges and ranches with so much snow that hundreds of thousands of sheep and cattle were threatened with starvation.

The 2151st Air Rescue Unit at Lowry AFB, Colorado, began to airdrop food and medicine to stranded travelers and isolated residents on January 3. For the next 10 days, the unit flew C–47, C–82, L–5, and H–5 aircraft over snow-covered portions of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. For example, on January 4, a 2151st ARU C–47 delivered 115 blankets and 30 cases of C rations to 482 people stranded at Rockport, Colorado. The next day, the unit airdropped food to passengers stranded in trains at Hillsdale and Egbort, Wyoming, and at Dix, Nebraska.

Cold War

With the beginning of the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, Lowry Air Force Base expanded its training program. Courses taught, in addition to photography

Photography

and armament, included rocket propulsion, missile guidance

Missile guidance

Missile guidance refers to a variety of methods of guiding a missile or a guided bomb to its intended target. The missile's target accuracy is a critical factor for its effectiveness...

, electronics

Electronics

Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...

, radar-operated fire-control systems, computer specialties, gun and rocket sights, and electronically operated turret systems.

Also during the 1950s, Lowry functioned as President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...

's Summer White House from 1952 - 1955.

Air Force Academy interm site

In July 1954 USAF officials named Lowry as the interim site for the new United States Air Force Academy

United States Air Force Academy

. At the same time, Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

also wanted to use Lowry to support missile units. According to the USAF, Lowry had to support the new academy, and if necessary, training could be relocated so that facilities were available for the academy. In fact Lowry did have to transfer training. Beginning in September, the 3415th TTW moved intelligence, comptroller, and transportation training programs to Sheppard AFB. Lowry was the interim home for the USAF Academy until construction was completed in Colorado Springs in 1959.

3415th Technical Training Wing

On June 7, 1951, Lowry's 3415th Technical Training Wing formed a Guided Missiles Department. It taught courses in guidance, control, and propulsion for such systems as Matador, Falcon, Rascal, Snark, and Navaho. In late 1955, President Eisenhower approved recommendations of the National Security Council to research and develop an intercontinental ballistic missile program. At the same time, all of the services were preparing plans for their individual missile programs. In the Air Force, training responsibility was assigned to Lowry, which developed the first general courses in 1956, and plans called for other courses to open at Chanute AFB in 1957, Amarillo AFB in 1958, and Sheppard AFB in 1959. In 1958, Nuclear Weapons Training began at Lowry. By 1962, the Department of Missile Training was providing the Air Force with over 1,000 trained missile specialists per year.

First Titan I missile base

On March 13, 1958, the Air Force Ballistic Committee approved the selection of Lowry to be the first Titan I

Titan I

The Martin Marietta SM-68A/HGM-25A Titan I was the United States' first multistage ICBM . Incorporating the latest design technology when designed and manufactured, the Titan I provided an additional nuclear deterrent to complement the U.S. Air Force's SM-65 Atlas missile...

ICBM base. No doubt the close proximity of the Martin Company Titan missile production plant influenced the site selection. Construction of launchers and support facilities began on May 1, 1959. Deployment of the missiles entailed a 3 x 3 configuration, meaning that each of the three complexes had three silos grouped in close proximity to a manned launch control facility

Lowry Technical Training Center

A reorganization in ATC on 1 Jan 1959 led to the 3415th TTW at Lowry be re-designated as the Lowry Technical Training Center.

703d Strategic Missile Wing/451st Strategic Missile Wing

The 703d Strategic Missile Wing

703d Strategic Missile Wing

The 703d Strategic Missile Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Strategic Air Command 13th Air Division, being stationed at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado. It was inactivated on 1 July 1961....

began 25 Sep 1958 through 1 Jul 1961, until a change in Wing number. The activation of the 848th Strategic Missile Squadron and the 703d Missile Maintenance Squadron on February 1, 1960, marked the first stand-up of a Titan I Squadron. Construction on all nine silos at the three launch complexes for the former 848th, redesignated the 724th, was completed by August 4, 1961. On April 18, 1962, Headquarters SAC declared the 724th SMS operational, and 2 days later the first Titan Is went on alert status. A month later, the sister 725th SMS (initially designated the 849th SMS) declared it had placed all nine of its Titan Is on alert status, which marked a SAC first. Both the 724th and 725th Strategic Missile Squadrons formed components of the Lowry-headquartered 451st Strategic Missile Wing, 26 Apr 1961 through 25 Jun 1965.

On November 19, 1964, Defense Secretary McNamara announced the phase-out of remaining first-generation Atlas and Titan I missiles by the end of June 1965. This objective was met; on June 25, 1965, the 724th SMS and 725th SMS were inactivated. SAC removed the last missile from Lowry on April 14, 1965.

Armed Forces Air Intelligence Training Center

In 1962, all DoD intelligence programs were consolidated at Lowry. Effective 1 July 1963, Air Training Command established the Armed Forces Air Intelligence Training Center as a named activity at Lowry, and its first students entered training on 17 July. By establishing the training center, the DoD consolidated all intelligence training at a single facility.

Flying activities had begun at Lowry in 1938, and through the years, many different aircraft had operated from the airfield, but by the mid-1960s airspace in the Denver area had become so crowded that in 1966 the Air Force directed Lowry to shift all of its flying activities to nearby Buckley Air National Guard Base.

Changes of the 1960s and 1970s

The 1967 closure of Amarillo AFB led to the relocation of the 3320th Retraining Group from Amarillo to Lowry. The retraining group, with its mission to rehabilitate and return to duty airmen convicted of criminal offenses, started the move on 1 July and completed it on 1 September 1967. As the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

wound down, the number of airmen with psychiatric and behavioral reorientation for airmen with drug problems reduced, and the Special Treatment Center at Lackland AFB's workload declined. Therefore in 1974, ATC suggested and the Air Staff approved the transfer of those services to the 3415th Special Training Group at Lowry AFB.

A vast construction program began in 1970 for enlisted and officer billeting facilities, which replaced many of the World War II

World War II

vintage barracks. Five large (1,000 man) dormitories were constructed and a 187-space mobile home park were completed by 1974. Other facilities included a youth center, a child-care center, a chapel, and a new Airmen’s Open Mess. In 1976, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service

Defense Finance and Accounting Service

(formerly Air Force Accounting & Finance Center) & the Air Reserve Personnel Center

Air Reserve Personnel Center

The Air Reserve Personnel Center manages personnel records for the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve and it is located at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado....

opened in the Gilchrist Building (Building 444).

Aircraft training

In 1972, the 3415th Technical Wing became the USAF School of Applied Aerospace Sciences with missile training continuing within the Department of Aerospace Munitions Training. In 1978, this department would be redesignated the 3460th Training Group.

Lowry first faced the base closure issue in 1978. Ultimately, the Air Force recommended keeping Lowry open at that time. With the base closure issue settled (for the time being), Lowry Technical Training Center introduced new & improved courses for the 1980s.

With the introduction of the LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM in the mid 1980s, technical training was provided at Lowry, beginning in 1985. The base became the primary training center for USAF space operations courses and began Undergraduate Space Training for officers, as well as basic and advanced training in various intelligence disciplines for officers. In 1987, Air Training Command

Air Training Command

graduated its first undergraduate space training (UST) class in February at Lowry. Lowry also handled ground & armament training for the F-100 Super Sabre

F-100 Super Sabre

The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...

, F-101 Voodoo

F-101 Voodoo

The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military jet fighter which served the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force...

, F-102 Delta Dagger

F-102 Delta Dagger

The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets...

, F-104 Starfighter

F-104 Starfighter

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force by Lockheed. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969, and continued with Air National Guard units...

, F-105 Thunderchief

F-105 Thunderchief

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief, was a supersonic fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force. The Mach 2 capable F-105 conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War; it has the dubious distinction of being the only US aircraft to have been...

, F-106 Delta Dart

F-106 Delta Dart

The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft for the United States Air Force from the 1960s through the 1980s. Designed as the so-called "Ultimate Interceptor", it has proven to be the last dedicated interceptor in USAF service to date...

, F-4 Phantom II

F-4 Phantom II

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...

, F-15 Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon

F-16 Fighting Falcon

The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...

, F-111 Aardvark, A-10 Thunderbolt II

A-10 Thunderbolt II

The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...

, B-52 Stratofortress

B-52 Stratofortress

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...

, and B-1 Lancer

B-1 Lancer

The Rockwell B-1 LancerThe name "Lancer" is only applied to the B-1B version, after the program was revived. is a four-engine variable-sweep wing strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force...

bomber.

B-52 Stratofortress munitions training

Lowry was also instrumental in training munitions handling for modified Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber. In 1980, Lowry Technical Training Center acquired a B-52D from Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, and stabilized another B-52 on base for use in training crews to load Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCMs) and Short-Range Attack Missile (SRAMs).

Closure

The 1990s saw the beginning of the end at Lowry. The end of the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

, along with the resultant budget cuts & downsizing made base closure a reality.

In 1993, Lowry prepared to end 56 years of technical training. While training continued, Lowry’s command structure planned to implement the closure in an efficient manner. The Air Force deactivated the 3400th Technical Training Group on April 27, 1994. A parade & pass-in-review was planned, but the death of former President Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...

caused the ceremonies to be postponed to the 28th. The official deactivation date, however, remained the 27th.

On 30 September 1994, the base officially closed.

Previous names

Denver Branch, Air Corps Technical School, 27 Aug 1937
Air Corps Technical School, Denver Branch, 29 Sep 1937
Lowry Field, 11 Mar 1938
Lowry Air Force Base, 24 Jun 1948-27 April 1994

Major commands to which assigned

Army Air Corps, 2 September 1937;
Air Corps Technical Training Command, 26 March 1941

Redesignated AAF Technical Training Command, 15 March 1942

AAF Training Command, 31 July 1943

Redesignated Air Training Command, 1 July 1946

Air Educational and Training Command, 1 June 1992-27 April 1994

Major units assigned

Air Corps Technical School

Redesignated Army Air Force Technical School

Redesignated Air Force Technical School

Redesignated USAF Technical School, 1 Jan 1938-15 August 1972

380th Bombardment Grou (Heavy) March-April 1943 (B-24s)
446th Bombardment Group, 8 June-19 October 1943
322d Troop Carrier Wing, 12 Jun 1947-27 June 1949
3415th Technical Training Wing, 26 August 1948-27 April 1994
331st Twin Engine Fighter Training Group, 24 October 1943-1 January 1944
389th Bombardment Group, 19 April-1 June 1943
USAF Technical Gunnery School, 12 October 1950-1 January 1960
USAF Academy, 14 August 1954-19 July 1959
703rd Strategic Missile Wing, 25 September 1958-1 July 1961

Redesignated 451st Strategic Missile Wing, 1 July 1961-25 June 1965

848th Strategic Missile Squadron, 1 February 1960-1 July 1961

Redesignated 724th Strategic Missile Squadron

724th Strategic Missile Squadron

The 724th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 451st Strategic Missile Wing, stationed at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado. It was inactivated on 25 June 1965.-World War II:...

, 1 July 1961-25 June 1965

849th Strategic Missile Squadron, 1 August 1960-1 July 1961

Redesignated 725th Strategic Missile Squadron

725th Strategic Missile Squadron

The 725th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 451st Strategic Missile Wing, stationed at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado. It was inactivated on 25 June 1965.-World War II:...

, 1 July 1961-25 June 1965

USAF Intelligence Training Center, 1 July 1963-27 April 1994
3320th Retraining Group, 1 September 1967-27 April 1994
USAF School of Applied Aerospace Sciences, Lowry, 1 August 1972-1 April 1977
3420th Technical Training Group, 30 April 1976-27 April 1994
3430th Technical Training Group, 30 April 1976-15 June 1978
3440th Technical Training Group, 30 April 1976-27 April 1994
3450th Technical Training Group, 30 April 1976-27 April 1994
3460th Technical Training Group, 30 April 1976-27 April 1994
3400th Technical Training Wing, 1 April 1777-1 January 1978; 1 November 1979-27 April 1994

Intercontinental ballistic missile facilities

The 451st Strategic Missile Wing operated two HGM-25A Titan I equipped missile squadrons from its Lowry support base.

The 724th (previously 848th) Strategic Missile Squadron operated three missile sites (1 Feb 1960-25 Jun 1965)

724-A, 8 miles SSW of Watkins, Colorado 39°38′55"N 104°41′27"W
724-B, 10 miles SSW of Watkins, Colorado39°36′18"N 104°34′49"W
724-C, 8 miles SE of Watkins, Colorado 39°39′57"N 104°29′38"W

The 725th (previously 849th) Strategic Missile Squadron operated three missile sites: (1 Aug 1960-25 Jun 1965)

725-A, 14 miles SE of Watkins, Colorado 39°35′15"N 104°27′42"W
725-B, 4 miles NNE of Deer Trail, Colorado39°40′06"N 104°01′41"W
725-C, 5 miles SSE of Elizabeth, Colorado 39°18′55"N 104°33′52"W

Site 724-A is owned by the City of Denver, and other than being fenced it appears to be relatively intact after 45 years of abandonment. The Army Corps of Engineers reviewed the site in the early 2000s and it appears to have a significant amount of soil contamination which would require cleaning up. 724-B is state owned and also appears to be relatively intact, fenced and abandoned in a very remote area. 724-C is privately owned, fenced, abandoned and also in a relatively remote area that has been largely undisturbed since 1965.

725-A was owned by the Federal Government until the mid 2000s, being put up for sale by the GSA in 2005. 2010 aerial imagery shows the facility largely inact. 725-B was, for many years, privately owned. Although today it is abandoned and a very high voltage transmission line crosses the site. 725-C today is leased by the local government as a solid waste transfer station and landfill site. Sites 724-A ,B,C and 725-A were all located on the Lowry Bombing Range.

External links

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